When he finally arrived he was grateful to see that he'd timed it just right. The line wasn't clear around the block yet. Karaoke night was fairly popular and usually got busy pretty quickly. Thankfully he was early enough that he had a position near the front of the growing line. It didn't take long before he was given a blue band that meant he was over 18 but under 21 and allowed into the club. It was always breathtaking. They had a set up at one end of the floor for the Karaoke but the actual DJ was in a booth suspended above the floor. It allowed for maximum dance space. It was accessed by a special catwalk that came from the VIP area of the club. It was actually on more than one level, but Kurt wasn't concerned for the VIP area right now.

He made his way over to the karaoke set up to thumb through the books. Since this was New York of course they also had a lot of Broadway music available for selection along with the standards. It had delighted him to no end to see a much wider selection than what he'd been used to the first time he'd come here. But aside from that, the atmosphere was the real draw. The details and how decadent Silk felt. It was just a beautiful and fun place to be.

He was sorely tempted to do Defying Gravity but no matter how much he loved it and no matter how open minded the patronage, he decided not to lead with it. He wanted something more upbeat. He needed to shake free the memories that had been accosting him all day. It was as he was flipping through the Broadway section that he fell on something familiar. He chuckled to himself, and decided why not. Sure, it hadn't gotten him into NYADA, but it was something he enjoyed and it was close to his heart. He wrote his name and the code for the song he'd selected and would wait for his turn.

What he didn't know was that someone familiar was also in the club that evening. Of course neither did the other person. Six people in and then Kurt's name was called and he made his way to the 'stage' that had been set up. He closed his eyes and when the music started they opened and he was in performance mode.

Comin' home used to feel so good
I'm a stranger now in my neighborhood
I've seen the world at a faster pace
And I'm comin' now from a diff'rent place

Though I may look the same way to you
Underneath there is somebody new

I am not the boy next door
I don't belong like I did before
Nothin' ever seems like it used to be
You can have your dreams, but you can't have me

I can't go back there anymore
'Cause I am not the boy next door

You've been savin' those souvenirs,
Faded photographs from our foolish years
We made plans, but they're wearin' thin
And they won't work out 'cause I don't fit in.

And those mem'ries will just weigh me down
'Cause I got no place to keep 'em uptown

I am not the boy next door
I don't belong like I did before
Nothin' ever seems like it used to be
You can have your dreams, but you can't have me

I can't go back there anymore
'Cause I am not the boy next door

And I'm sorry for just bein' me
But if you'd look past the past you could see
That I am not the boy next door
I don't belong like I did before
Nothin' ever seems like it used to be
You can have your dreams, but you can't have me

I can't go back there anymore

'Cause I am not the boy next door

The moment that clear, unique voice came through the system, someone in the VIP area looked up and made his way to one of the balcony views. A smirk settled upon his lips as he saw the person singing. He could live a hundred years and he would always know that voice. There was no way not to. That singing voice was far too unique. No one sounded like Kurt Hummel. The lighting over in the stage area caught the multi-tonal fabric and set it off. Kurt looked stunning.

Time had passed and the once very thin, fae young man had filled out. Working as a mechanic for his father had started building his strength and dancing and the rigorous training regimen for the Cheerios had honed it further. He was still thin, but he was no longer skinny. He was more lithely built. His body sleek, his muscles toned not bulky. He had been nearly effeminate but he was wholly masculine now and there was no denying the appeal.

The VIP made a quick decision. It might be risky but he'd had just enough to drink to eliminate the usual niggle of doubt. Besides he was never one to hesitate. He slipped down to the area where the music books were and flipped through looking for a specific song. Once he succeeded in finding it, he wrote down the name Dalton and the code for the song and slipped back into the VIP area to get a drink and plan his next move.

The crowd was impressed with Kurt's rendition of Not the Boy Next Door and he finished to a roar of applause. It always felt good to be appreciated by an audience and New York was a much better audience than Lima had ever been. After he finished, he made his way towards the non-bar. Silk had some of the best smoothies and organic juices he'd ever had. Whoever had created Silk had clearly spared no expense. And that attention to detail had made Silk a thriving paradise Dionysus would be envious of.

He selected a sparkling pomegranate, black cherry juice combination. It was the perfect mix of sweet versus tart and there was something addictive about it. He settled atop a stool and enjoyed his drink. Some dance songs followed and when Single Ladies came on, he and several other people - mostly women, began to do the dance. It was fun going through the moves again. He would never forget them - for several reasons - but his movements were far more fluid, confident and refined now than they had been back then.

Then he heard a name come through the speaker that sent a shiver of memory down his spine. Dalton. It was just a name, but for him, it called to mind Dalton Academy - the Warblers and of course Blaine. Then the first notes to the song Dalton had selected began playing and curiosity pulled Kurt's gaze to the stage.. His eyes went wide as he realized that he knew the man on stage… and his name was not Dalton. Clearly he had realized Kurt was here and used Dalton as a cue that Kurt hadn't even been aware of and yet in a way had caught all the same.

Medium brown hair, no longer quite so CW in style… sparkling green eyes and that ever present smirk. Kurt shook his head, chuckling to himself. Sebastian Smythe - it would figure that Sebastian would end up in Silk. Of course Kurt had to admit, the fitted slacks, the dark green button down short sleeve shirt with the top three buttons undone was quite … attractive.

I know you've suffered
But I don't want you to hide
It's cold and loveless
I won't let you be denied

Soothing
I'll make you feel pure
Trust me
You can be sure

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

You trick your lovers
That you're wicked and divine
You may be a sinner
But your innocence is mine

Please me
Show me how it's done
Tease me
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Please me
Show me how it's done
Trust me
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

It wasn't hard for Sebastian to find Kurt in the crowd now that he knew Kurt was here. He idly wondered if Kurt would realize the purpose of the song. Sebastian had been very calculating in his decision. Of course Kurt might not think he himself was the focus of it. Not that Sebastian still did the string of one nightstands anymore. He'd outgrown that. He could and did actually have relationships - though he hadn't had any in a while. Law school was time consuming and he was more focused on that than on his love life.

But something had always intrigued him about Kurt Hummel. Sure, he'd met Blaine first, but Blaine wasn't the only 'former' Warbler the other Warblers had talked about. They'd spoken of Blaine and extolled his virtues as a leading man at length and had video to back it up. But they had also spoken of the counter tenor that they'd been lucky to have for those scant few months. There had been more than enough details about Blaine but there had been precious few about Kurt. Tall boy, pale skin and the most impossible shade of silvery blue eyes. That was pretty much it. And the one recorded performance that included Kurt hadn't given Sebastian much more detail. He had performed a duet of Candles with Blaine but aside from confirming that he was tall and pale and a countertenor, the view wasn't close enough to determine anything else.

Then he'd met Kurt. Oh it had been rich seeing that Blaine and Kurt were a couple. He had set his sights on Blaine because there had been something about his obliviousness that was an interesting challenge and then finding out that Blaine had a boyfriend had only upped the challenge level. It became a game of can Kurt keep his boyfriend or not? Well in Sebastian's head at least. But what he had never let show was that he had actually been more interested in Kurt.

Blaine was sexy there was no denying that. But there was something almost otherworldly about Kurt. And the description Jeff had given had done no justice whatsoever to the reality of one Kurt Hummel. Those eyes? They seemed impossible. They were silver and gray and blue and were even flecked with green all at the same time. The fairness of his complexion wasn't pasty… it had just the barest undertone of peach to confirm that he was healthy. And the skin care regimen he'd heard tale about certainly seemed to be working because Kurt for lack of a better term, glowed.

Kurt back in high school was intriguing. Kurt now was simply stunning. His chestnut locks had red highlights that glinted in the club lighting and the way he had it tousled instead of it's former perfect ken doll coif? Yeah much better - so much better. It sent Sebastian's mind straight back to the gutter. There was something much more sexy about Kurt than there had ever been and Sebastian was still intrigued. And yes, yes he had seen Kurt dancing to Single Ladies with some women and those movements? Damn.

Having learned that Kurt was no longer with Blaine and was currently single had started putting ideas in his head. The talks over coffee, even if they had been doing homework as well, had allowed Sebastian to see other changes that had happened to his friend. Kurt was even more fascinating now. The confident mask he wore in high school was no longer simply a façade. Kurt had found a level of comfort in his skin that he hadn't had before. Better friends, a change of scenery and Kurt really seemed to have come into his own. There was no more fear hiding in his eyes. He was comfortable and confident and that was very attractive.

Emerald eyes sought out that now more lithe form and a flirty smirk settled on Sebastian's lips. It wasn't hard for him to get into character for the song. There was something decidedly sexy, seductive about Undisclosed Desires. The lyrics resonated an intent that Sebastian hadn't let show before. But the more he got to learn about this new Kurt Hummel, the more he wanted to know and that was all there was to it. The crowd was getting very in to Sebastian's performance. Of course Sebastian was quite a performer and his voice was like silk and liquid sex, there was no denying that.

Kurt was caught by the charismatic performance. There was something about the way Sebastian commanded attention. The way he engaged the crowd. His stage presence was nearly magnetic. Kurt was just as captivated as the rest of the crowd. Had he not been so enthralled, he would have missed those green eyes flickering to him and then staying there. Kurt had somehow found a central portion of the dance floor so Sebastian didn't have to look off to one side to see Kurt.

He wondered if there was a reason Sebastian was focusing on him while he performed. Was it simply that he had found a familiar face in the crowd? Or was there something more? It was a suggestive song, it was seductive and while that was pretty much Sebastian Smythe to a T, Sebastian singing this particular song to Kurt didn't make much sense to Kurt. While Kurt had found a comfort in himself and was now much more confident, he was still kind of oblivious to people flirting with him.

That was something he was probably always going to struggle with. There had just been too many years of being told he was worthless and that he should be ashamed of liking boys and that he was nothing. Too many years of so many bad things said and even though Blaine had helped him find his own worth, the slings and arrows of others still hurt. He was getting better but unfortunately he kind of needed a neon sign of honest interest and attraction to get it. Once he got that, he was good to go and there was no problem. It was just that initial moment after that he was kind of oblivious to. High school had done a lot of damage and it wasn't going to be overcome in a couple short years.

When Sebastian finished his song, the crowd went more than a little wild. He smirked even more but quickly slipped through the crowd, somehow managing to effectively navigate his way to where Kurt was...


AN: All music is property of the people who wrote it. I'm just playing with it for plot purposes.

Songs: Not the Boy Next Door - From the Boy From Oz by Peter Allan

Undisclosed Desires - By Muse.